Republican Geary falling behind in money race against Janis, Taylor

Campaign-finance reports released Monday show that Matthew P. Geary, the Republican candidate for Henrico County commonwealth's attorney who is being attacked by members of his own party for what they call a lack of judgment and personal failings, is falling far behind his two opponents in available financial resources.

Geary said Monday that he is running a day-to-day operation and will file an amended report today that corrects totals released Monday showing a negative balance in available money.

Geary, according to the most recent tally, reported receiving $148,435 in donations through the end of the September.

But his campaign has expended $150,020, resulting in a $1,585 negative balance, the documents released Monday show. Geary said an amended report will show a slight positive balance of a few thousand dollars.

Geary, the official Republican candidate and a former chief deputy prosecutor in Richmond, has lost the support of party leaders, who have labeled Geary as someone lacking judgment and creating ill will by statements that he has compiled a list of names of non-supporters who have abandoned him.

A particularly vocal opponent is Del. Manoli Loupassi, R-Richmond, who had endorsed Geary and contributed to him but then turned on him after Geary made statements about a list of supporters and former supporters, such as Loupassi, who have turned against him.

"That is not the sort of thing I want to hear from an elected official," Loupassi said in a recent interview. "That is not the way an elected official and representative of the people goes into office, especially an office that calls for judgment and an even-handed administration of justice."

Friends of Manoli Loupassi, a political action committee, contributed $20,000 to Janis' campaign in August shortly after Janis entered the race.

Geary's opponent, longtime Del. Bill Janis, R-Henrico, who is giving up his delegate's seat to run as an independent, has reached $139,183 in donations, much of it from early Republican-linked contributors. His balance at the end of September stood at $112,833, according to Janis' report released Monday.

Geary has called for a look at Janis' windfall of donations from his delegate's race and from Republican Party and candidate PACs, but Janis has defended the practice as "nothing unusual" and supported by campaign laws.

Longtime prosecutor and now defense attorney Shannon Taylor, the Democratic candidate who has vowed to make the Henrico prosecutor's office more reflective of the racial makeup of Henrico, reported a positive balance of $15,361.

She has received $3,200 from the Henrico County Democratic Committee and spent less than $4,000.

The unusual Republican Party abandonment of Geary is leading to a wholesale cleansing of longtime Republicans from Henrico County Republican Committee rolls, including the U.S. House majority leader, Rep. Eric I. Cantor, R-7th, several members of the county executive committee, and Henrico Republicans who have contributed to Janis or openly voiced support for him.

But David Johnson, chairman of the county Republican Executive Committee, said in an email Monday that no one is really sure who has violated party loyalty oaths and is therefore automatically presumed resigned. Some people, Johnson noted, including himself, have abandoned Geary but have not actively supported or contributed to Janis, the Republican-turned-independent.

"I am still the chair as the party plan does not say that you have to support the nominee, you just can't support anyone running against him/her," Johnson wrote. "I have maintained that as have several others on the executive committee."

Geary, though, criticized the alleged confusion, saying, "How can the House majority leader still be considered a Republican when he is no longer a member of his local Republican committee?" State Attorney General Ken Cuccinelli and Lt. Gov. Bill Bolling, both Republicans, have endorsed Janis, the independent.

Cuccinelli's office said Monday that he is fully aware that the support means he has lost membership in his local Republican Party Committee in Prince William County.

The endorsement was "something Ken felt was really important for him to do," said Noah Wall, with Cuccinelli's political operation.

Wall said the attorney general was aware of the party rules when he threw support behind Janis.

And Wall, as did Johnson and other Republican resignees, said they can simply be voted back in to their local committees when the committees hold their next meetings, probably after the elections Nov. 8.

David Rexrode, executive director of the Republican Party of Virginia, could not be reached for comment Monday.